. Jalbum 8.6 slides/dec31.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 Well, this is it- my last 365 photo for a while. And I'm closing with one of my best shots ever, at least best conceived shots ever. This was an iteration on an idea- I had photographed a circle of these pencils arrange in spectral order. While falling asleep one night, I kept iterating on different shapes to put the pencil in when I suddenly awoke fully with this concept- a take on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I couldn't wait, but had to until the next day. I took a prism I had and placed it on a black backrop, then arranged the elements. Overall, the shot was actually quite easy- the concept was just the result of a random shuffling of ideas. Silly ideas, but they coalesced into this one, and sometimes that's what it takes to take a really creative shot. With that, I sign off from Picture365 for at least a year- I need a break. I will take pictures and try to continue to be creative, but I am going to focus on my SirSnapALot blog more and work and home projects keep me very busy as well. It has been fun- thanks for coming along for the ride, and sorry it took my until May to post the last picture in December. I got way behind- and I had some really good ones there. I was just slow in putting them up, and didn't want to put them all up at once after the fact. Well, this is it- my last 365 photo for a while. And I'm closing with one of my best shots ever, at least best conceived shots ever. This was an iteration on an idea- I had photographed a circle of these pencils arrange in spectral order. While falling asleep one night, I kept iterating on different shapes to put the pencil in when I suddenly awoke fully with this concept- a take on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I couldn't wait, but had to until the next day. I took a prism I had and placed it on a black backrop, then arranged the elements. Overall, the shot was actually quite easy- the concept was just the result of a random shuffling of ideas. Silly ideas, but they coalesced into this one, and sometimes that's what it takes to take a really creative shot. With that, I sign off from Picture365 for at least a year- I need a break. I will take pictures and try to continue to be creative, but I am going to focus on my SirSnapALot blog more and work and home projects keep me very busy as well. It has been fun- thanks for coming along for the ride, and sorry it took my until May to post the last picture in December. I got way behind- and I had some really good ones there. I was just slow in putting them up, and didn't want to put them all up at once after the fact. slides/dec31.jpg slides/dec30.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 I took this super resolution shot of the stigma of a hibiscus. It's the best one I've taken. I processed it into a super-resolution picture by taking about a dozen shots of it, in bright light. Bright light is quite helpful when shooting macro, as you can reduce motion blur (using mirror lockup, too). In this case, the flower was indoors, but in bright sunlight. Mods: Super-resolution processing. I took this super resolution shot of the stigma of a hibiscus. It's the best one I've taken. I processed it into a super-resolution picture by taking about a dozen shots of it, in bright light. Bright light is quite helpful when shooting macro, as you can reduce motion blur (using mirror lockup, too). In this case, the flower was indoors, but in bright sunlight. Mods: Super-resolution processing. slides/dec30.jpg slides/dec29.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 This shot was an experiment with learning how to be creative with my external flash. It is highly programmable. For this shot, I punch a hundred or so of these asterisks-shaped snow flakes out of colored paper. I set the flash to go off 7 times at 0.1s intervals. There was some experimentation to get that number, but it was waht worked best. I had a lot of fun doing this shot. All 7 exposures were on a single, 2s exposure from the camera- in other words- a single frame. Mods: None. This shot was an experiment with learning how to be creative with my external flash. It is highly programmable. For this shot, I punch a hundred or so of these asterisks-shaped snow flakes out of colored paper. I set the flash to go off 7 times at 0.1s intervals. There was some experimentation to get that number, but it was waht worked best. I had a lot of fun doing this shot. All 7 exposures were on a single, 2s exposure from the camera- in other words- a single frame. Mods: None. slides/dec29.jpg slides/dec28.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 I rented some lenses over the Christmas holidays. This was taken with a tilt-shift lens that is used for architecture. The idea is a tilt-shift straightens building edges so that they do not taper inwards. That is not achieved here in that I did still tilt the camera itself upwards, but it is less pronounced than it would have been with a normal wide angle lens. Mods: Two pictures stitched together. I rented some lenses over the Christmas holidays. This was taken with a tilt-shift lens that is used for architecture. The idea is a tilt-shift straightens building edges so that they do not taper inwards. That is not achieved here in that I did still tilt the camera itself upwards, but it is less pronounced than it would have been with a normal wide angle lens. Mods: Two pictures stitched together. slides/dec28.jpg slides/dec27.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 When we got back from out trip, we had this blob of ice in the coolor. I liked the lines that appeard as a result of how it froze. Mods: None When we got back from out trip, we had this blob of ice in the coolor. I liked the lines that appeard as a result of how it froze. Mods: None slides/dec27.jpg slides/dec26.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 We took some major backroads back from San Antonio, driving through farm and ranch country. I spotted these backlit cows- I rather liked how the light shined through the hair on their ears. Mods: None We took some major backroads back from San Antonio, driving through farm and ranch country. I spotted these backlit cows- I rather liked how the light shined through the hair on their ears. Mods: None slides/dec26.jpg slides/dec25.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 This tree was on my brother-in-law's mantle over the fireplace. I sort of like this shot. Mods: None This tree was on my brother-in-law's mantle over the fireplace. I sort of like this shot. Mods: None slides/dec25.jpg slides/dec24.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 We spent Christmas at my brother-in-law's house in San Antonio. I noticed that the lights on their tree were blinking at a very high rate, so I decided to amplify the blink by panning the camera rapidly across the tree. Mods: None. We spent Christmas at my brother-in-law's house in San Antonio. I noticed that the lights on their tree were blinking at a very high rate, so I decided to amplify the blink by panning the camera rapidly across the tree. Mods: None. slides/dec24.jpg slides/dec23.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 This is an extreme close-up of a decayed leaf on our deck. Mods: None This is an extreme close-up of a decayed leaf on our deck. Mods: None slides/dec23.jpg slides/dec22.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 This was taken, hand held, of the shadow of my hand on the ceiling. A lamp is providing the light. I noticed my hand's shadow while stretching in the evening, and though it looked rather spooky. Mods: None. This was taken, hand held, of the shadow of my hand on the ceiling. A lamp is providing the light. I noticed my hand's shadow while stretching in the evening, and though it looked rather spooky. Mods: None. slides/dec22.jpg slides/dec21.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 These are fern spores, on the back of a wood fern that we have growing along the side of the house. Mods: None. These are fern spores, on the back of a wood fern that we have growing along the side of the house. Mods: None. slides/dec21.jpg slides/dec20.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 This is table salt, shot with a 24mm Canon lens, reverse mounted and extended about 15cm from the camera on a bellows. The resulting (usable) magnification here is about 300x, give or take. Mods: Super Resolution processing. This is table salt, shot with a 24mm Canon lens, reverse mounted and extended about 15cm from the camera on a bellows. The resulting (usable) magnification here is about 300x, give or take. Mods: Super Resolution processing. slides/dec20.jpg slides/dec19.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 I recently order a complete set up step-up and step-down rings. Now I can mount just about any filter to any lens, and reverse any lens to use in a macro/bellows setup. I shot this picture in my newly acquired lightbox, which evenly illuminates from multiple directions, creating nice-looking product shots. Mods: None. I recently order a complete set up step-up and step-down rings. Now I can mount just about any filter to any lens, and reverse any lens to use in a macro/bellows setup. I shot this picture in my newly acquired lightbox, which evenly illuminates from multiple directions, creating nice-looking product shots. Mods: None. slides/dec19.jpg slides/dec18.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 This super macro shows laser speckle at a whole new level- I fired the laser on the shiny side of a CD and took a photo of the resulting speckle- called Subjective speckle when it is directly imaged. Magnification is approximately 200x. Mods: None. This super macro shows laser speckle at a whole new level- I fired the laser on the shiny side of a CD and took a photo of the resulting speckle- called Subjective speckle when it is directly imaged. Magnification is approximately 200x. Mods: None. slides/dec18.jpg slides/dec17.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 This is the LCD display of a Nokia E71 mobile phone. I shot this with my new (old) 24mm Canon lens, flipped around backwards on the end of a bellows for maximal magnification. These are individual Red, Blue and Green pixels. Mods: None. This is the LCD display of a Nokia E71 mobile phone. I shot this with my new (old) 24mm Canon lens, flipped around backwards on the end of a bellows for maximal magnification. These are individual Red, Blue and Green pixels. Mods: None. slides/dec17.jpg slides/dec16.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 I did this little experiment in my new lightbox. I placed one glass behind the other, lit it from behind through a black draping cloth, and set the glasses on a piece of black plexiglass. The one thing I would do different would be to straighten out the wrinkles in the backdrop. I really like the muted reflection in the black plastic base. Mods: None. I did this little experiment in my new lightbox. I placed one glass behind the other, lit it from behind through a black draping cloth, and set the glasses on a piece of black plexiglass. The one thing I would do different would be to straighten out the wrinkles in the backdrop. I really like the muted reflection in the black plastic base. Mods: None. slides/dec16.jpg slides/dec15.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 We have a rose bush in a front bed, and a few leaves had turned color, though it tends to bloom more in the winter than anytime else. I really like how this one turned out, layed out on my light table. Mods: None. We have a rose bush in a front bed, and a few leaves had turned color, though it tends to bloom more in the winter than anytime else. I really like how this one turned out, layed out on my light table. Mods: None. slides/dec15.jpg slides/dec14.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 It's gotten colder, and the kale in the front garden gets more vivid as a result. This leaf had just fallen off, so I decided to capture its color on my light table. Mods: None. It's gotten colder, and the kale in the front garden gets more vivid as a result. This leaf had just fallen off, so I decided to capture its color on my light table. Mods: None. slides/dec14.jpg slides/dec13.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 I recently acquired a lightbox, or softbox. It's an enclosure that allows for better product photography by diffusing light sources so that you have a cleaner photo. I also recently ordered some black plexiglass, to use as a product backdrop. I decided to break out this roll of lifesavers I bought nearly a year ago, just so I could take a picture like this one. I really like the dark reflection here. Mods: None. I recently acquired a lightbox, or softbox. It's an enclosure that allows for better product photography by diffusing light sources so that you have a cleaner photo. I also recently ordered some black plexiglass, to use as a product backdrop. I decided to break out this roll of lifesavers I bought nearly a year ago, just so I could take a picture like this one. I really like the dark reflection here. Mods: None. slides/dec13.jpg slides/dec12.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 Sadly, we are returning home here. But on the way, we passed over some very cool scenery in the upper Caribbean over the southern Bahamas. Mods: None Sadly, we are returning home here. But on the way, we passed over some very cool scenery in the upper Caribbean over the southern Bahamas. Mods: None slides/dec12.jpg slides/dec11.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 So many pictures to choose from- it's hard to pick one. For today, I'm posting my 'lucky shot'. I have been trying for years to capture the so-called 'Green Flash', which happens usually over water and only when you have a clear view of the horizon. And even then, it does not happen all that often. Basically, you get a 1-2s green flash right before the sun completely disappears. There are also different types of green flashes, depending on the atmospheric conditions. This type is called an 'inferior-mirage flash'. To capture it, I put my camera on high-speed (6.3 frames per second) and just started firing away in the seconds before the disk completely disappeared. Mods: None. So many pictures to choose from- it's hard to pick one. For today, I'm posting my 'lucky shot'. I have been trying for years to capture the so-called 'Green Flash', which happens usually over water and only when you have a clear view of the horizon. And even then, it does not happen all that often. Basically, you get a 1-2s green flash right before the sun completely disappears. There are also different types of green flashes, depending on the atmospheric conditions. This type is called an 'inferior-mirage flash'. To capture it, I put my camera on high-speed (6.3 frames per second) and just started firing away in the seconds before the disk completely disappeared. Mods: None. slides/dec11.jpg slides/dec10.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 Another beautiful sunset at Jalousie Plantation Beach. I used my more powerful flash to illuminate the trees just a bit. Also, had to wait until the people walking on the beach were between the trees to add a little extra to the shot. Mods: None. Another beautiful sunset at Jalousie Plantation Beach. I used my more powerful flash to illuminate the trees just a bit. Also, had to wait until the people walking on the beach were between the trees to add a little extra to the shot. Mods: None. slides/dec10.jpg slides/dec09.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 Today was the only day we rented a car to drive around the island. This was the view overlooking the where we stayed. This resort- Ladera- was up on the ridge above our resort- Jalousie, which is right on the beach, between the two peaks, just slightly to the right of center on this picture. Mods: Stitched 5 pictures together. Today was the only day we rented a car to drive around the island. This was the view overlooking the where we stayed. This resort- Ladera- was up on the ridge above our resort- Jalousie, which is right on the beach, between the two peaks, just slightly to the right of center on this picture. Mods: Stitched 5 pictures together. slides/dec09.jpg slides/dec08.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 This is the beach on St. Lucia where we are staying. It's stunningly beautiful. This is one of my favorite images from the trip. Mods: None. This is the beach on St. Lucia where we are staying. It's stunningly beautiful. This is one of my favorite images from the trip. Mods: None. slides/dec08.jpg slides/dec07.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 Today we explored old San Juan in Puerto Rico. Though the old city is quite photogenic, and the fort is dramatic and very photogenic, I chose this tree, outside the city wall on on the waterfront as my picture of the day. It's a 5-picture composite taken while sitting under the tree. As I wrap up 2009 in pictures, this technique was developed this year, so I want to emphasize it as much as possible. Mods: Photo stitching of 5 shots to create an ultra wide angle. Today we explored old San Juan in Puerto Rico. Though the old city is quite photogenic, and the fort is dramatic and very photogenic, I chose this tree, outside the city wall on on the waterfront as my picture of the day. It's a 5-picture composite taken while sitting under the tree. As I wrap up 2009 in pictures, this technique was developed this year, so I want to emphasize it as much as possible. Mods: Photo stitching of 5 shots to create an ultra wide angle. slides/dec07.jpg slides/dec06.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 Today we went hiking in El Yunque Rainforest in Puerto Rico. We spotted this butterfly up over our heads, and I managed to get this shot taken. This is where a good, image stabilized lens helps- shooting up over your head can be difficult to stabilize. And a low f-stop allowed for sharp focus on the subject, but dramatically softened canopy in the forest. Mods: None Today we went hiking in El Yunque Rainforest in Puerto Rico. We spotted this butterfly up over our heads, and I managed to get this shot taken. This is where a good, image stabilized lens helps- shooting up over your head can be difficult to stabilize. And a low f-stop allowed for sharp focus on the subject, but dramatically softened canopy in the forest. Mods: None slides/dec06.jpg slides/dec05.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 Today we flew to Puerto Rico. We didn't get in until after dark, but had a lovely view of downtown San Juan from our hotel room. This is a 3-picture panorama. Mods: Stitching of 3 photos. Today we flew to Puerto Rico. We didn't get in until after dark, but had a lovely view of downtown San Juan from our hotel room. This is a 3-picture panorama. Mods: Stitching of 3 photos. slides/dec05.jpg slides/dec04.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 I'm playing around here with a softbox, used for product photography. That and a sheet of black plexiglass that I ordered a while back from subject isolation purposes. Mods: Black canvas extension for better framing. I'm playing around here with a softbox, used for product photography. That and a sheet of black plexiglass that I ordered a while back from subject isolation purposes. Mods: Black canvas extension for better framing. slides/dec04.jpg slides/dec03.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 Just an odd abstract. This is a view out my study window, but taken through a fresnel page mangifying lens that is about the size of a sheet of paper. The contrast was intensified to bring out the lines. The grid is from the shingles on my roof, but are quite out of focus here. Mods: Contrast/brightness Just an odd abstract. This is a view out my study window, but taken through a fresnel page mangifying lens that is about the size of a sheet of paper. The contrast was intensified to bring out the lines. The grid is from the shingles on my roof, but are quite out of focus here. Mods: Contrast/brightness slides/dec03.jpg slides/dec02.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 This was taken at the nearby Willow Bend Mall with the new Olympus digital camera I bought. Not nearly as good, of course, as my Canon EOS, but it's very pocketable and portable. Mods: None. This was taken at the nearby Willow Bend Mall with the new Olympus digital camera I bought. Not nearly as good, of course, as my Canon EOS, but it's very pocketable and portable. Mods: None. slides/dec02.jpg slides/dec01.html# Sat, 29 May 2010 00:26:40 -0500 slides/dec01.jpg